BY NEIL BRANQUINHO

cyberpunk red FAQ

last updated 12.15.2020

Rules clarifications and questions answered about Cyberpunk RED

Version 1.0. Covers the Cyberpunk RED Corerulebook.

Copyright © 2020 by R. Talsorian Games, Inc., Cyberpunk is a registered trademark of CD Projekt Red S.A. All rights reserved under the Universal Copyrights Convention. All
situations, governments, and people herein are fictional. Any similarities portrayed herein without satiric intent are strictly coincidental.

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CYBERPUNK RED FAQ

C haracter Creation
c h a r a c t e r c r e a t i o n c h a r a c t e r c r e a t i o n
Q: When making a Character, do you get the full benefits of their Special Ability at Rank 4?
I.e. if I make a Medtech, do they have 4 points to distribute between the three specialties
(Surgery, Pharmaceuticals, and Cryotech Operation)?
A: Yes. Treat it as having gained a Level, four separate times.

C ombat
c o m b a t c o m b a t c o m b a t c
Q: Do area attacks (grenades, shotgun shells, rockets, and so forth) reduce the SP of armor
o m b a t

in just the body location? Or in both the body and head locations?
A: SP is only reduced in the body location. All area attack effects cannot be used to make an aimed shot and
thus cannot target the head.
Q: What happens when you roll a 1 when attacking with a Poor Quality Melee Weapon?
A: The grip falls off, the blade bends weirdly, the handle becomes loose, or perhaps because of the weapon's
terrible design, something even more annoying happens. Whatever happens, you'll need to use an Action to
reverse it before that weapon can be swung again.
Q: How does the Spot Weakness Specialty of the Solo’s Combat Awareness Role Ability
interact with Autofire, where you multiply the damage before you subtract any armor SP?
A: You add the damage just after the Autofire damage is multiplied, right before you subtract the armor's SP.

Total Damage = [(2d6 * amount you rolled above Autofire DV, up to

weapon's Autofire limit) + Spot Weakness damage bonus] – SP

Q: How does the Spot Weakness Specialty of the Solo’s Combat Awareness Role Ability
interact with a Head Aimed shot, where you multiply the damage after you subtract any
armor SP?
A: You roll damage, then add Spot Weakness Damage, then subtract SP, then multiply the damage that gets
through the armor by two.

Total Damage = [(weapon damage + Spot Weakness damage] – SP] * 2

C ritical Injuries
c r i t i c a l i n j u r i e s c r i t i c a l i n j u r i e
Q: When you roll two or more 6s on an area attack’s damage (grenades, shotgun shells,
s

rockets, and so forth) how do you determine Critical Injuries for anyone in the area of effect?
Do you apply Critical Injuries to everyone? And if so, do you roll each person’s Critical Injury
separately? And which of the two tables do you roll on?

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 CYBERPUNK RED FAQ

A: For an area attack that rolls two or more 6s for damage, everyone hit by the attack gets a Critical Injury.
Everybody rolls what Critical Injury to the body they get separately.
Q: When a Critical Injury is applied outside of rolling two 6s on damage (via a Martial Arts
Special Maneuver, an Aimed Shot to the legs, as the result of a ramming attack with a vehicle,
and so forth) do you apply the bonus damage and the effect of the injury or just the effect
of the injury?
A: Yep, in those cases, you apply the bonus damage and the Critical Injury effect. We specify whenever you don’t
cause bonus damage with a Critical Injury. Teargas Ammunition specify that they don’t cause bonus damage
with their injury effect, so look out for that.

C yberware
c y b e r w a r e c y b e r w a r e c y b e r w a r e c y b e r w a r e
Q: Can you buy cyberweapons (that aren’t already listed as Poor or Excellent) in Poor and
Excellent variations? And if so, do you adjust the cost the same way as you would a normal
weapon?
A: Nope, you cannot. You might want to get a Tech to upgrade them for you instead. We are talking cyber-
weapons, so, for clarification, we are talking about Scratchers, Rippers, Wolvers, Slice'n'dice, Cybersnake, Talon
Foot, Big Knucks, and Vampyres.
However, Popup Melee Weapon cyberware can allow you to install any Light, Medium, or Heavy Melee
weapon effectively as a cyberweapon, even Exotic ones, or ones of Poor or Excellent Quality. Can't give you a
discount at the Night Market, but they'll treat you right if you tell them the Mayor sent you. I might get a kickback
too. Win-Win.

N etrunning
n e t r u n n i n g n e t r u n n i n g n e t r u
Q: Ruleswise, an Access Point is a place where a Netrunner can jack into a NET Architecture but what is it in
n n i n g

the game world? And does the Netrunner have to plug a cable into it or is it a short range wireless connection,
like Bluetooth? Also, it says you can’t connect through walls. Once you are connected, can you leave a room
so long as you still stay within 6m/yds of the Access Point?
A: Access points can be whatever you want, but typically are placed where a user in the real world interacts
with the NET Architecture. Some examples are: the computers, an electrical panel, the printer, the turret in the
ceiling, the Stun panel in the elevator, the climate control unit for the building on the roof. Anything controlled
by a Control Node in the NET Architecture is also likely an Access Point. Sometimes, they are pretty strange,
but the Netrunner can always use their Scanner ability to find them easily.
Your interface cables are plugged into your cyberdeck, which lets you connect wirelessly to an Access Point
with a technology indeed similar to Bluetooth. You'll need to stay within 6m/yrds of the access point to stay
connected to it. If you go behind a wall, that will break the connection, as the signal cannot penetrate walls.

S kills
s k i l l s k s i
Q: What Skill is used for repairing armor?
l l s k i l l s k i l l s k i l l s

A: Basic Tech. Repairing anything not directly covered by another Tech skill is always Basic Tech.

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CYBERPUNK RED FAQ

Q: Does a Character need to pay for parts when repairing broken technology like armor or
a car?
A: The sidebar on page 140 deals with this. No payment is required, but it will take a big chunk of time. That's
time you could have spent Hustling.
Q: When buying Skills with a specialty (Language, Local Expert, Science, Play Instrument,
and Martial Arts) do you get a new specialty with each Levels of the Skill or do you buy each
specialty as a separate Skill?
A: You buy each specialty as a separate Skill. For example, if I wanted access to both the Karate and Akido
Martial Arts Special Moves, I might to purchase 4 Levels in Martial Arts (Karate) and 3 Levels in Martial
Arts (Akido). When performing a straight Martial Arts Special Move I would use the appropriate Martial Art
specialty. For example, if I were making a Bone Breaking Strike I would use my Martial Arts (Karate) 4 but if I
were using Iron Grip, I would use Martial Arts (Akido) 3. If I were making a straight Martial Arts Attack Check
I would pick the highest of the two [Martial Arts (Karate) 4], not combine them into Martial Arts 7.